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No. 4 Stanford Sinks ASU, Awaits #6 Arizona

Stanford, Ca - Junior outside hitter Kristin Richards recorded a match-high 22 kills to lead the fourth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team to a 30-25, 30-21, 30-24 victory over Arizona State in a Pacific-10 match on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford hit .264 compared to only .115 for the Sun Devils.

It was Stanford's defense that carried the load in game one. Stanford held the Sun Devils to a -.038 hitting percentage. ASU tallied only nine kills in 52 attempts while committing eleven hitting errors. With the scored tied at 10-10, Stanford went on a brief 4-0 run and ASU could never get any closer than two points. Two attack errors by ASU at 28-25 gave Stanford game one (30-25). Junior outside hitter Kristin Richards recorded 14 of her match-high 23 digs in game one.

Stanford's defense in game two didn't allow ASU to improve its offense by much. The Sun Devils hit only .114 while the Cardinal checked in at .268. Stanford struck early with a 7-0 lead, and expanded the margin to as many as 14 points (26-12). A kill by Richards ended the game (30-21).

Stanford hit .439 in game three. The Cardinal gradually built up its lead throughout the game, including a 22-12 lead. At 29-24, freshman middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo ended the game (30-24) and the match with a kill.